Chapter 59

 

 

At 7:30, Red and Jillian felt like they had just walked into the Chicago Bears locker room. There were giants walking all over the place. Joe came over and said, “As you can see, it’s kind of crowded in here. We’re going to meet in the Jackpot Banquette Room on the second floor instead.”

 

Red said, “Joe, I thought we were just meeting with a couple of your friends.”

 

“There’s been a change in plans. I’ll explain when we all get settled upstairs.”

 

When Red and Jillian walk into the banquette room they are surprised to see the rest of the Chameleon’s target group as well as Tucker. Joe quickly gets everybody seated in several rows of chairs that have been set up in front of a stage in the back of the room and claps his hands to get everyone’s attention.

 

“Red, Jillian, after I talked with you this afternoon, I remembered Tucker’s comments about how urgent it was for him to get his men into the field and on the Chameleon’s tail as soon as possible. I realized then that I shouldn’t be wasting any time putting into motion what I had in mind. Any delay might give the Chameleon an opening he couldn’t resist, hence this gathering now. Nate and Clyde are tied into what’s going on here via closed circuit TV. The monitors are behind me.

 

“Let me start out by introducing two of my friends to all of you. As I introduce you guys, will you please stand up and face the group. The first man I want to introduce to you is Vincent Velossi, the founder and president of Vanguard Vigil Limited.”

 

The man is 6’10” if he is an inch and probably weighs in at 290 lbs., all of it hard muscle. His jet black wavy hair and facial features remind Red of an actor from yesteryear, Victor Mature.

 

“His second in command, Giovanni Marciano, is responsible for the daily operations of the company and the hiring of associates like the men that are with us this evening.”

 

Mr. Marciano is as big as the president and incredibly even more muscular. He’s got a Friar Tuck hairdo turning gray, a goatee to match and a stare that could cut glass.

 

“Vince, I’ll turn the mike over to you and you can fill them in on how you work and what you want to them to do.”

 

“Thanks, Joe.

“Folks, Joe contacted me because this Chameleon character that’s been a thorn in your sides for some time now has apparently decided that that’s no longer enough. It now looks like he wants to remove you from his garden altogether. In other words, he wants to kill you. My job is to see that that doesn’t happen.

 

“Vanguard Vigil Ltd. is very experienced when it comes to situations like this and we’ve successfully provided security for top level politicians, entertainers, visiting diplomats and businessmen throughout the country for over fifteen years now.

 

“Since the local police and Mr. Riley have stretched their manpower to the limit in dealing with the Chameleon, Joe became quite concerned about your safety and asked me to get involved if you folks will agree to work with us.

 

“All of the men you see here tonight are specially trained to deal with any security issue that might arise no matter how violent that issue might be. They are extremely observant, nothing gets by them ordinary or not, and they will be in easy reach to deal with anything that might present a danger to you.

 

“For us to do our job, we need your full cooperation. You must trust us. If we tell you to do something in an urgent manner, you must do so without hesitation. Delay could mean your demise. We’ll try to disrupt your daily routine as little as possible, but there will be some disruptions.

 

“There are eleven of us here and ten of you. Each one of you will have your own bodyguard with the exception of Ms. Prevot who will have two because it has been determined that she is at the most risk right now. When assignments have been made, you will be required to provide a daily calendar to your assigned bodyguard and to keep him updated with any changes in your agenda.

 

“Mr. Riley has fully briefed us regarding what has been going on with the Chameleon and he has given us pictures of him. I have given Mr. Riley pictures of all of us, so he can get copies into the hands of his men that are tracking the Chameleon down. I want his people to know who we are and why we’re sticking to you people like glue to paper.

 

“Are there any questions? Are any of you uncomfortable with us being in the picture and doing what we do?”

 

Popeye spoke up with, “I won’t need any protection. I’m going to be in the field with Tucker and his men. Assign my bodyguard to Clyde or Nate.”

 

Red looked over at Rex and Tucker and neither of them seemed surprised by Popeye’s announcement.

 

Red’s thinking, “Now that’s an interesting development. When all this is over, I’m going to let my curiosity run wild and start asking a bunch of nosy questions. My gut’s telling me that there’s more to those two guys than we’ve been led to believe.”

 

Vince said, “Okay, we’ll assign an extra man to Mr. Crowley. I’d say he’s number two in the Chameleon’s pecking order. You two men in Chicago can expect your assigned bodyguards to be knocking on your home doors within the next three hours.” Holding up three pictures, two in one hand one in the other, he added, “The two men in my right hand will be assigned to you, Mr. Crowley and the one in my left hand will be assigned to you, Mr. Borman.”

 

Joe stepped forward and asked, “Well, how about it? Do you agree with me that these guys are the answer to how to keep us alive and well or do you want to do something else? I hope you understand why I called Vince without talking with you first. Tucker got through to me loud and clear that wasting time with this kook could be disastrous.”

 

Everyone concurred that Joe’s actions might have saved some lives and agreed to abide by whatever instructions were given to them. The bodyguards were assigned and the group paired off with their assigned body guards with the exception of Red and Jillian who wanted to talk with Vince about their idea of making themselves a tempting target for the Chameleon. As they were walking up to Vince, Tucker and Popeye were running out the door.

 

Red and Jillian explained their reasoning and Vince liked their idea. “It’s damn risky, but it has a good chance of working if we can find the right location. The right location being someplace that doesn’t put anyone else in danger and where we can strategically position men to take him down when he reveals himself either through carelessness or by making his move. The right location shouldn’t require more than the three men assigned to you.

 

“I’ll feel better though if Giovanni and I are two of those three. Any of our men are capable of handling any contingencies that the Chameleon might present, but what you’re proposing is a little extra hairy and I’d feel better if we were at the scene and had some control over how our men positioned themselves and reacted to any attempt on your lives. I’ll make the changes in the assignments when we’re finished here. I’ll arrange for a man by the name of Ramon Rodriguez to be the third bodyguard in our little party. He’s especially good with firearms.

 

Red and Jillian nodded their acknowledgement and Giovanni asked, “So, where are you two planning on having these little rendezvous?”

 

Red replied with, “We’re still working on that.”

 

“Well, wherever it is, don’t plan on driving your own cars to get there. You’ll take a cab that one of us will be driving. The other two bodyguards will escort you to the cab and then go back onboard the Floating Fantasies. They will wait two minutes and then get in their car and head for the rendezvous point taking a different route. This will allow all of us to get on scene without the Chameleon being any the wiser and still provide you with protection while your en route.

 

“Also, plan on wearing vests when you’re embarking on these rendezvous and dress accordingly. Wear something that will conceal them.”

 

Red said, “Okay. That sounds good to me. Why don’t you guys introduce us to Ramon and then Jillian and I can give all of you a rundown on what we have on our calendars for the next week? Then Jillian and I can get back to putting our heads together to come up with a workable location for what we’re planning to do.”

 

After being introduced to Ramon and sharing their calendars with the three men, Red and Jillian headed back to the coffee shop to search visitors’ guides, the yellow pages, the internet and their own memories for the right location to put their plan in motion.